Remember that app that turned your iPhone into a virtual iPod? Apple pulled it off the App Store

Apple pulled it off because it copied the iPod’s design, charged for Apple Music features and could be mistaken as an Apple product .

Apple has pulled Rewound off the App Store because “it copied the iPod’s design, charged for Apple Music features and could be mistaken as an Apple product” (Apple)

Rewound, a music player app that was released last week, was a nostalgia trip for many. You could use the skins it to turn your iPhone into a virtual classic iPod. It hit all the right memories and amassed enough downloads, however, it has now been pulled off the Apple App Store.

The music player app posted a blog on Medium where they have stated that Apple has pulled the app off because it copied iPod's design, charged for Apple Music features and that people would mistake it for an Apple product.

Rewound has explained that the app "was specifically designed not to infringe on Apple's trademarks and we didn't. Rewound could look many ways. Not until users started sharing/using clickwheel skins did they ban the app". Basically, the iPod classic skins did not come pre-installed with Rewound and users would have to download them after installing the app.

Rewound has also gone on to point out that the optional scrolling motion to navigate menu is not an Apple IP, and neither is the button layout without a wheel or scrolling navigation.

The other reason, charging for Apple Music features, is something that Apple had approved earlier before the clickwheel skins started getting popular.

Finally, possibility of being mistaken as an Apple product. Here, Rewound has just said that while Apple's software quality has been on a decline for a while now, but comparing their 'hideous' software to Apple's is a stretch.

The Rewound blog goes on to say that the iOS app cannot be updated without "breaking the app for all 170,000+ users" and they are "going to have to upload a separate version but feel it is barely worth the time or effort to even try and humor them, they're just going to keep saying no until users can't possible make it like their favourite music player".

Developer of Rewound, Louis Anslow has said that they will be brining the app back in some way and as he mentions on the GoFundMe page, they will "try some tweaks to get Rewound resubmitted" to the App Store. The money from GoFundMe will support the development of a web app and an Android app.

"We're launching REWOUND.FUND to fund development of the web app REWOUND.APP which will work on iPhone without Apple's approval and an Android app (THE irony!)"

But. Anslow is also not clear if Apple will ever allow Rewound back (on the App Store) and mentions that they are not "promising fully finished versions" of the app in any form.